The Summer of Dallas

Hey all, I just wanted to update everyone on some of the things I've been up to this summer. It's been a busy one, but it has also been really fun.

At the end of winter semester, I moved over to Halladay Apartments with my buddy Eric Hales. A guy named Paul was already living here. He's pretty cool. He gets things done. I'm trying to break him from his good habits and normalize him down here with the rest of us. It's going pretty well. He called me "bro" the other day.

I started a new position for my job at the MTC which has been pretty fun. I get to know a lot more missionaries on a much different level. I kind of feel like their Uncle who they get to have fun with and talked to when things are tough for them. I love working there. Each missionary comes in with some pretty neat experiences. When I got back from my trip to Australia with my family I started doing some other administrative things while this other guy is out of the country till August. I've made a few mistakes here and there but things are becoming more clear with what I'm doing. What I loved was that a few weeks ago was the New Mission President Seminar at the MTC. It was super fun seeing some of the new mission presidents walk around the MTC with their wives. I can only imagine the intense pressure of the calling that they feel. It's a huge responsibility! Most often they have like 150 missionaries they have to watch over! It's nuts! I heard a rumor (which I choose to believe, ha) that most mission presidents average like between 5-6 hours of sleep each night. That's crazy. Anyways, with those other administrative duties I was taking on, I was able to listen in on a few different talks that were being broadcasted from the main building to where I was at. These talks were given by the apostles and many other general authorities that are just incredible to hear from. The setting in which they teach is much more intimate than I think we realize. Most of their instruction is unscripted and they'll be quite frank with these mission presidents. I was blessed to have been able to hear at least some things.

Right now I'm not taking any classes. My number one focus is improving my score on the LSAT. I've got a countdown calendar that's leading me up to October 6th when I take it! Yes, if you caught it, that is during General Conference. It will only be during the morning session, but I'm still sad that I'll miss it live. I love the live setting because I think I receive lots of revelation during that time. I'm grateful I've never had to see it on a delayed schedule before because I know there are lots of members and missionaries who because of time differences and translation have to. But yeah, the LSAT is starting to get fun. With each new concept that I study, I learn something new that sticks in my mind and helps me to do better. Each new "Game" is starting to become an adventure at solving. We'll see how things go, but I certainly hope for the best!

Colby moved in with me for summer term. That kid is hilarious. He's on this kick at being "that guy" in everything. We go country dancing and he wants to be "that guy" that dresses up in flannel and tight jeans and boots. More power to him. It's been fun having him around. He just got a job at the MTC which I'm pretty happy about. I overheard lots of good things being said about him when he applied, so I'm happy things worked out. It'll be fun having Jamie out here with us in the fall making it six Beck's total here in Provo. I love being close to Kasey, Emily, and Jimmer and so adding more just makes playing Mario Kart battle mode that much better. I'm definitely glad that back in November I decided I would be out here for another year so I could have this with my family.

At the end of May and early June I got to go to Australia and New Zealand with my family. It was being there and listening to the thick accents. There were many times I had no idea what was being said. With our hope of seeing kangaroos and koala bears, it made me wonder what animals people have on their bucket list to see when coming to America. Bald eagles? Bears? Good luck with those two. On my flights back to the US, I got to spend 17 hours in Shanghai, China. That's a great story which I'll be sure to post about next time.

Other things to look forward to:
- Beck Family reunion in a couple of weeks! There I will claim my dominance as being the favorite uncle. The real battle will be with Alicia and McKay. The others are pretty secured. The other two, by golly, won't know what hit 'em when I come. By all accounts, Colby is the competition and must be defeated. Alicia and McKay must see Colby for what he really is...ha.
-I'm training for a triathlon in September.
-I think I'm running my first 5k this coming weekend.
-BYU football is just around the corner!
-Jabari Parker...(let's cross our fingers and hope he decides to come to BYU)
-Also in October I should find out about Teach for America to see if I get accepted. If I do, that will make things really interesting in deciding when for law school.
-The elections!
-I'm going to rock the jetski when I go home in August.
-My last year at BYU--crazy.
-I'm taking a golf class in the fall, ha. Oh boy, it's gonna be an interesting class, ha.

 Anyways, I've been thinking about some things I've wanted to post about, so here's a list of things to come in the next little bit (I promise they won't be spaced two months apart for each one):

-Shanghai
-The elections and the economy
-Missionary experiences with people on the plane to and from Shanghai (that poor girl from Mexico that had to sit next to me for 12 hours to LA, haha)
-Gay marriage and my thoughts on the issue
-3 years back from my mission! My mom likes to pick my brain, so for her benefit I'll probably post some mission memories.


Thanks for reading!